2024-05-05T05:31:01-04:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/149968921/this-man-is-building-an-entire-village-from-recycled-plastic-bottles Amelia Taylor-Hochberg 2016-09-16T14:37:00-04:00 >2016-09-19T00:16:49-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/c7/c7df4x1s5jkn3oah.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p>"Humanity went through stone age, went through ice age, and today, going through plastic age. We need to find solution,&rdquo; explains Robert Bezeau, the man intent on amending the global reach of plastic waste by building houses out of it. A transplant to Panama from Montreal, he has started building an entire village from discarded plastic bottles, placing them inside metal cages, and then stacking them into a simple house structure.</p><p>A recent scientific study estimates that currently, there are over 150 million tons of plastic waste in our oceans, and by 2050, that amount could outnumber fish. In places like Bocas del Toro, where Bezeau is building his plastic village, a rapid influx of new residents produced waste at a rate the city couldn't handle, resulting in an overflow of plastic garbage.</p><p>To cope with the issue, Bezea began gathering plastic bottles from locals and using them as building insulation. Check out <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/500036/plastic-bottle-village/?utm_source=nl-video-series-if-our-bodies-could-talk-091516" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><em>The</em> <em>Atlantic</em></a>'s&nbsp;video below for his story.</p><p></p><p>Bezea isn't the only one buildin...</p> https://archinect.com/news/article/73735594/colon-panama-a-once-vibrant-and-beautiful-city-struggles Orhan Ayyüce 2013-05-23T12:56:00-04:00 >2022-03-16T09:10:02-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/u9/u9a78ev3cluo0yla.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><em><p>Civil society has to get things done here - Kurt Dillon, architect, Urbio</p></em><br /><br /><p>"In recognition of its historic role in the development of modern international trade and transportation, as well as its cultural and environmental value, the Historic Center of Colon was declared a historic monument in 2002. Despite its protected status, the center continues to suffer the effect of more than 30 years of neglect and abuse. This short, Spanish-language documentary offers criteria for a democratic project of urban conservation and economic revitalization that begins with the dispelling of stereotypes and the valorization of Colon's exceptional cultural heritage."</p><p><a href="https://www.wmf.org/content/historic-center-city-colon-project-its-conservation-revitalization-and-sustainable" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Historic Center of the City of Colon: A project for its conservation, revitalization and sustainable management.</a></p> https://archinect.com/news/article/73735593/colon-panama-a-once-vibrant-and-beautiful-city-struggles Orhan Ayyüce 2013-05-23T02:07:43-04:00 >2022-03-16T09:10:02-04:00 <em><p>Civil society has to get things done here - Kurt Dillon, architect, Urbio</p></em><br /><br /><p> <img alt="" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/03/24/world/PANAMA/PANAMA-articleLarge.jpg"><em>Photo by Meredith Kohut for NYT</em></p> <p> "In recognition of its historic role in the development of modern international trade and transportation, as well as its cultural and environmental value, the Historic Center of Colon was declared a historic monument in 2002. Despite its protected status, the center continues to suffer the effect of more than 30 years of neglect and abuse. This short, Spanish-language documentary offers criteria for a democratic project of urban conservation and economic revitalization that begins with the dispelling of stereotypes and the valorization of Colon's exceptional cultural heritage."</p> <p> <a href="http://www.wmf.org/historic-center-colon" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Historic Center of the City of Colon: A project for its conservation, revitalization and sustainable management.</a></p>